Is your enjoyment of the garden, local parks and outdoor life blighted by the constant, loud noise of flights overhead?

Are you woken up early by the noise of flights?

Have you wondered why you are under a noisy flight path when you live 16 miles away from Heathrow airport?

It’s because Dulwich, Herne Hill, Forest Hill, Brixton, Camberwell and swathes of south-east London are on a concentrated flight superhighway for arrivals into Heathrow airport. Changes in recent years mean that we are on the final approach into Heathrow airport. When the wind is westerly, which is 70% of the time, all flights arriving into Heathrow airport are flying over our area in a concentrated flight path.

Planes are joining the final approach earlier, which means that even though Dulwich is 16 miles away from Heathrow, most of the flights arriving into Heathrow are sent over us. The ‘continuous descent approach’ implemented by the Civil Aviation Authority in recent years also means that planes are flying lower over Dulwich. Most flights are now at 3000 to 4000ft compared with 4000 to 5000ft in 2011.

The noise must stop. Local Residents should be consulted on changes to flight paths affecting the noise over our area.Heathrow airport should also increase the number of noise monitoring locations in south-east London. There is currently only one noise monitoring location in south-east London (which is located in Camberwell). This compares with no fewer than 6 monitoring locations in the Wimbledon area.

Additionally, we are blighted by flights arriving into London City Airport as we are on a flight path into City Airport.

What can you do to BRING BACK QUIET SKIES to Dulwich and south-east London?

1. SIGN OUR PETITION.

2. Complain about the noise directly to Heathrow airport (complaints can be made to [email protected]) and to the Civil Aviation Authority (at caa.co.uk). The more noise complaints they receive from people living in the local area, the more likely they are to do something about it. Feedback and complaints from the local community will make a big difference.

PETITION

1. The noise from flights over our homes and recreational spaces in the Dulwich, Herne Hill, Brixton and south-east London area is excessive and unacceptable.

3. The final approach into Heathrow airport should be varied rather than a fixed concentrated path so that our community is not unduly burdened with constant noise.

4. Heathrow airport should vary the direction planes fly before joining, and the point at which they join, the final fixed approach, so that flights are most frequently joining the final fixed approach closer to the airport and not 16 miles away in Dulwich.

5. The height at which planes fly over south-east London should be substantially raised to reduce noise and disturbance.

6. Install at least two more noise monitoring locations in south-east London. A noise monitoring location should be installed in Dulwich park.
7. Dulwich must be included in the list of venues in which Heathrow airport public consultation events take place, including the next consultation on Heathrow expansion due to start on 18 June 2019.

8. Every affected household in south-east London should be posted a leaflet and encouraged to submit their views in each Heathrow consultation exercise relevant to flight paths and noise levels affecting them.

9. Residents in Dulwich and south-east London should be included in Heathrow Noise Insulation schemes so that Heathrow airport pays towards the costs of residents insulating their homes against the aircraft noise though double glazing, replacement windows and loft insulation.

3. The final approach into Heathrow airport should be varied rather than a fixed concentrated path so that our community is not unduly burdened with constant noise.
4. Heathrow airport should vary the direction planes fly before joining, and the point at which they join, the final fixed approach, so that flights are joining the final fixed approach closer to the airport and not 16 miles away in Dulwich.

5. The height at which planes fly over south-east London should be substantially raised to reduce noise and disturbance.

There's a certain failure of understanding there as to how flight paths work. You've got arrivals and departures for Heathrow, Gatwick, City and (to a certain extent) Stansted and Luton to deconflict. Weather patterns dictate a lot of it as do the established flight corridors that act to separate all those flights.
Also, how are aircraft supposed to land at Heathrow if they're higher coming over Dulwich?! The whole point they're that height is because they're landing there. If they were higher or lower they'd miss the landing and/or hit something else...

Quote:

I miss Concorde flying over my garden twice a day

Me too. 6pm - as kids we'd run to the window to watch it. Far fewer jumbo jets now, almost everything is a twin engine bar the occasional A380.

Hi SUT,
Noise from over flying aircraft has increased significantly. Far more flights into and out of Heathrow and City Airport than 30 years ago.
Night flight regime should be stopped. GPS controlled flight paths mean precise routes making those underneath suffer from far more noise intrusion.

The Heathrow Action Campaign Against Noise has lots of sensible suggestions to reduce this noise and have studied the impact of noise from Heathrow. It costs our society far more in detrimental noise impacts than Heathrow generates for example.

In terms of aircraft noise I was most recently disturbed by Trump's somewhat excessive eight helicopters plus two escorts going back and forth between Biggin Hill and Stanstead during his recent visit. Probably because they sounded "different".

The regular traffic to Heathrow and City Airport doesn't really bother me at all. I've grown accustomed to it over the last 50+ years and accept it as a minor consequence of living in one of the world's biggest and most vibrant capital cities.

Oh, I miss Concorde too. I never tired of seeing and hearing that magnificent machine flying overhead.

seenbeen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe Boris Johnson can revive his plan for an
> airport in the Thames Estuary if he gets to be
> PM..that would solve the problem

I miss Concorde too, the noise doesn’t bother us either. The flight path was there 25 years ago when we moved in. I used to live in East Anglia and the RAF supply plans flying over and so low you couks see the pilot was a lot louder.

Where ever you are in the city you are going to be close to a flight path. I’m guessing you don’t mind when you fly away on holiday or for business.

While there is a good case for a fairer reallocation of Heathrow flight paths rather than concentrating them ever more over us, that's already proposed at least as part of the 3rd runway plans.

This petition is the wrong tactic at the wrong time. One consultation (on flight path strategic principles) has just finished and another (on 3rd runway) is about to start. To be effective, and reduce the risk of engagement fatigue, quiet(er) skies campaigners should really focus on that:
[www.heathrowexpansion.com]

The elephant in the room is the climate emergency and the govt has acknowledged it needs to rethink how an expanded Heathrow could fit with tough new climate targets. Heathrow airport obviously has given much less thought to how flight paths could change if it doesn't get its expansion (or if legal challenges drag on).

Ultimately this is going to require either the closure of Heathrow, or an acceptance that we live in a global city which has multiple airports. Personally the noise doesnt bother me that much, its just part of city life.
If you want to live an aircraft free life, then try somewhere in the country - but realise that there are few nirvanas - I've just come back from a few days walking in Yorkshire, and there was regular very low, and loud military aircraft flypasts - personally I regard it as the sound of freedom and have no problem at all with it, but it was a lot louder than the planes here.

Otherwise, if you want to stay in London, try moving northwards, where its a bit quieter, or accept that the price of having the benefits of London life is the noise of London airports. Otherwise you're going to spend a long time trying and failing to do anything except get worked up about something you won't be able to influence.

Finally, if you think its bad here, try spending a day out in Richmond...

jimlad48 Wrote:
> Finally, if you think its bad here, try spending a
> day out in Richmond...

Ha! My husband is from East Sheen and when visiting his family home in the 90s, the windows would visibly shake when concorde went over, coming from a pit town in the NE I thought it was the end of days the first time it happened.
They all strangely missed it when concorde was no more...

Don't fly over over my house, fly over other peoples instead, meaning they have to put up with the noise so I don't have to.

London is a major global city with multiple airports. You will have to put up with aircraft noise if you choose to live here. That's the nature of the beast, and frankly petitions such as this are a waste of time and effort.

> Weather patterns dictate a lot of it
> as do the established flight corridors that act to
> separate all those flights.
> Also, how are aircraft supposed to land at
> Heathrow if they're higher coming over Dulwich?!
> The whole point they're that height is because
> they're landing there. If they were higher or
> lower they'd miss the landing and/or hit something
> else...
>

Actually with modern navigation and approach systems theres a fair amount of scope to vary both flight paths and angle of attack (CDA, steeper approaches, etc).
It does take a long time to analyse and implement these though, as there’s a lot of trials and modelling that needs to take place.

In response to those absolutist, bah humbug comments above, over 28% of all the people in the EU affected by the highest levels of aircraft noise are under the Heathrow flight path, many of them here in south London. While Concorde was just a few times a day, the flights now are far more frequent and as often as every 90s, especially first thing in the morning. There are serious economic and health impacts, putting more pressure on our NHS for instance.

As this recent report by the London Assembly notes there are particular issues for those areas also affected by City but also practical solutions such as respite periods and opposing further expansion:
[www.london.gov.uk]

Definitely agree about the need to measure noise with windows open for hot summer nights, which are being made more extreme by air travel induced climate change. Unless Heathrow wants to buy us all double glazing, A/C and zero carbon electricity to power them that is.

Here’s a message I got from Heathrow. I too find the noise intolerable, and when you examine noise levels in Camberwell they are the same as those in the areas where noise insulation grants are available

Dear xxx

Thank you for contacting Heathrow regarding noise insulation. We are sorry to hear you have been disturbed by Heathrow’s operations.

Please be advised that your property is not currently eligible for assistance as it does not fall within either The LHR 2004/2005 Night Restrictions Contour; or The LHR 1994 Day Noise Insulation Scheme Boundary.

Whilst I am certain this will come as disappointing news to you, the schemes are applied in a fair and constant manner to all local residents. We are therefore unable to make exceptions to properties that do not fall within the agreed boundaries.

If you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to put them to me. Otherwise, please visit www.heathrow.com/noise for more information.

Alternatively, if you would like to log a complaint concerning noise disturbances you are experiencing in your home you are able to do so by emailing noise@heathrow.com or by calling the team on 0800 344 844.

We are up to nearly 50 signatures. We will be promoting the campaign at the Herne Hill market on Sunday, 7 July at the community stall. Do sign the online petition if this issue concerns you. More voices will make a difference.

A few weekends ago when the weather was warmer and we were outside, I counted planes coming over at around 1 every minute, they were low too.

rollflick Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------
> In response to those absolutist, bah humbug
> comments above, over 28% of all the people in the
> EU affected by the highest levels of aircraft
> noise are under the Heathrow flight path, many of
> them here in south London. While Concorde was just
> a few times a day, the flights now are far more
> frequent and as often as every 90s, especially
> first thing in the morning. There are serious
> economic and health impacts, putting more pressure
> on our NHS for instance.
>
> As this recent report by the London Assembly notes
> there are particular issues for those areas also
> affected by City but also practical solutions such
> as respite periods and opposing further expansion:
>
> [www.london.gov.uk]
> raft-noise-report.pdf
>
> Definitely agree about the need to measure noise
> with windows open for hot summer nights, which are
> being made more extreme by air travel induced
> climate change. Unless Heathrow wants to buy us
> all double glazing, A/C and zero carbon
> electricity to power them that is.

A few weekends ago when the weather was warmer and we were outside, I counted planes coming over at around 1 every minute, they were low too.

Download an app called Flightrader24. Allow it to access your location and then just fire it up. It'll show you a near-enough live map of all aircraft movements, you can click/tap on a plane and it'll bring up its flight path, departure & arrival airports, aircraft type, altitude and speed.

You'll soon get an idea of flightpaths and you can pick out the 4 stacks that Heathrow have (Bovingdon, Lambourne, Ockham & Biggin), the paths from there into the approach path and so on.

Most aircraft coming over East Dulwich inbound for Heathrow are about 4000ft, descending at roughly 600fpm (at that moment, the exact rate fluctuates a bit) and doing about 180 knots (205mph). Slightly different for City which generally takes smaller aircraft.

I miss Concorde too. Living in London it is part of the experience. I also use aeroplanes so shan’t complain. Plus have worked in west London - where they fly so low over houses and schools in a way I have never see in SE London.